Casus Dei
by Destoy All Weeaboos
Summary: A year has passed since the events of Sariel. Hunted by both the church and Satan's former subordinates, Maou and the gang find an ancient ally in one of the church's outcasts from a time long past.
1. Pilot

**Welcome, everyone, to my first fanfiction under this alias. If you don't know who I am, good, you probably shouldn't. I've published a few, incomplete works under different accounts, but that's irrelevant. This time, I have something of a backup plan: write out every chapter once ahead of the one I upload. For example, by the time this was uploaded I will have finished chapter 2 and at least started work on chapter 3, chapter 2 will be uploaded when I am working on chapter 4, etc. This way I can have at least one last chapter to upload before I burn it down for the insurance money. But again, there's no guarantee I will ever complete this: I have an outline in my head, but I can't promise my attention span will be long enough to write it all out. Whatever, we'll see what happens.**

 **Before we start, let's get a few things clear. First off, let it be known that I failed college-level English. Though to be fair, they wanted me to write a lot of reflective and personal opinion essays, and frankly, I don't give a shit about Renee Zellweger or her plastic surgery (Yes, that was a mandatory topic.) So if I misspell a word or two, please try to contain your inner Grammar Nazi. Besides, I'm sure even this is better than about half of the entries uploaded to the more popular source materials on a daily basis (C'mon guys, spell-check, it exists.)**

 **Second, this fanfiction takes place after anime series, and does not follow the storyline of the light novel or the manga at all. As soon as someone releases an English version that I can access, I'll probably read it.**

 **Third, if my rant about English didn't tip you off, there will be some swears. It's definitely not gonna be saturated with cursing, but just in case I'm gonna keep this a high T rating. If someone feels like that's too low, PM me or something, but if the new Robocop movie got by at a measly PG-13, I think this can stand its current rating.**

 **Finally, I will not write a lemon. Because fuck lemons. (LOLPUNS)**

 **Alright, enough with the intro, let's get on with it.**

 **Disclaimer: this is a fanfiction, BUY THE DAMNED SHOW**

#####

"The Devil remains on Earth in hiding, and our hero has betrayed us."

"We have already sent three other agents to slay him, but both have either been killed or are unresponsive to our attempts at communication."

"The Church is tasking you two to travel to this dimension and execute the Devil, along with any usurpers who may get in your way."

"We also require you to silence our former hero as well. Once said task is complete, retrieve the Better Half and bring it to us."

"Are our instructions clear, Ruber and Caeruleus?"

"We understand. These heretics must pay for their insolence."

#####

All was quiet at the central island of Ente Isla. A sterile wind blew through the remains of the Devil's Castle. With the crusades over and their civilization in shambles, most of the sentient demons fled to the most remote forests of the isle, some to forge new lives, other to attempt to rebuild even greater than before and strike once more. All, but one.

Malacoda, the dark sorcerer, rivaled only by Satan himself in his demonic magical abilities. He stood at the tallest peak of the once-grandiose castle, his hands focused into a ball. His eyes were closed, and his long, blonde hair that normally rested at the sides of his head in bangs blew effortlessly in the breeze. After a few moments, a faint ripple could be seen in the air in front of him. It grew and grew, until there was now a purplish wormhole directly in front of him. A diabolical grin appeared on his face, his eyelids opening to reveal his gray irises.

"Satan," He monologued, "I will find you, and I will kill you. And when I do, I will conquer Ente Isla in the name of the demons!"

#####

"Thank you, please come again!" Maou cheerfully waved out the last customer of the day. He sighed a breath of relief. Today had been slightly longer than his usual shift, due in part to quota day coming up, and his desire to exceed last year's record sales (a record set by yours truly, of course).

"Excellent work today, everyone!" He announced to the few remaining employees who were hanging around at this hour, "With today's rush hour, our numbers shall have excelled far beyond our wildest imaginations!"

"You really think so, Maou?" Chiho excitedly yelped.

"Oh, I know so!" Maou continued his over-the-top monologuing, while most of the other employees simply ignored his tirade and continued preparing to leave. "Soon, our MgRonald's will be the greatest in all of Japan!" He raised a fist as he almost shouted the last sentence. Chiho simply smiled at his antics.

"Hm?" She opened her eyes and saw a very distinctive redhead from across the street staring into the restaurant, an uneasy look in her eyes. "Hey Maou, isn't that Emi over there?"

"Huh?" Having been brought down back to reality, he turned his head to look at the Hero, only for her to avert his gaze, choosing to focus on the pavement instead. This caused the devil to raise an eyebrow. It was about two years after both of them entered this world, and they were getting along much better than they did when they originally came here, at least superficially. Although, for the past few weeks, Emi started to deviate from the norm as she waited for Maou to get off work and began to follow him most of the way home, striking up whatever small talk crossed her mind. It had even gotten to the point that he wouldn't bother riding the Dullahan II anymore, because he would just be pushing it along as they walked.

Now, she had stalked him multiple times before, but previously it was out of suspicion; however, her goals are much less clear now due to this new behavior. Was she trying to catch him off guard by being more amiable towards him? It couldn't be that. Was she simply bored and had no friends to hang out with? Nah, that Rika chick is always bugging her about stuff like that.

 _Does she... like me?_ Maou shook his head in disbelief. It was true though, the demon had also grown to enjoy her presence. Her bantering began to grow on him, and he even began to go out of his way just to seek her attention. After a while, though, he wondered if these were human emotions that he was feeling. He scoffed at such a naive thought. _The demon lord and a half-angel, in love. How poetically ironic._

 _...Besides, she couldn't if she wanted._ As his thoughts about the hero became more frequent, so did his retrospecting on his action in Ente Isla. He had to bring himself to confront his previous behavior. He had no choice but to bring himself face-to-face with reality: He was everything wrong with her life.

He was the reason her father died. He was the reason she was taken by the church to become their killing machine. And he was the reason she was now stuck in Japan, doomed to listen to the rants of people too stupid to pick up a manual for a living. His hand balled into a fist. These thoughts ate away at him like acid on a near-daily basis. He didn't even want her forgiveness anymore; he just wanted to be able to forgive himself.

"Go to her, Maou." Chiho nudged him in the side.

"What?" Maou snapped out of it, slightly confused as the buxom teen encouraged him.

"C'mon, I know you can't be that dense," She explained, closing her eyes, "It's obvious from her past behavior that she likes you, whether or not she consciously realizes it, and judging the way you look at her, the feeling is mutual." She almost sobbed the last part, but retained her composure and continued, "At first, I thought I could have you all to myself. But then, as I grew up, I thought more and more about what it meant to truly _love_ someone. And, well..." She opened her eyes and looked at him, a bittersweet expression on her face, "If you truly love something, let it go."

"Chiho..." The devil smiled, pulling her into an embrace, "I promise I'll still be there for you whenever you need."

"Th-thanks, Maou..." The two let go of each other, "Just don't let that floozy get the better of you, or at least tell me if she does, so I can personally set her straight." She jokingly stuck her tongue out at the shift manager.

#####

The hero solemnly stared as she watched her "arch-nemesis" hug the teenage girl through the glass. _Wait a minute_ , she scolded herself, _Am I... jealous!? Get a grip, Emilia, he is_ Satan _! Evil incarnate! The very essence of darkness! You h-hate him!..._

A part of her truly, deeply wanted nothing more than to forgive him, to completely forget all the heinous acts committed by his hand in Ente Isla, to let go of the past and start a new future. She quickly buried this part of her as deeply as she could muster, but it didn't take long for doubts to spring up in her head once more.

 _Can I even forgive him?_ Her internal struggle raged on, _Should I forgive him? Wha-o-of course not? My father is dead because of him! Ugh, Why can't I shake these feelings, like I'm doing something wrong?_

"Hey," A distinctly male voice brought the half-angel out of her stupor. Emi looked up and saw the man in question, out of his MgRonald's uniform and into more casual attire.

"H-hey," She uneasily responded. An awkward moment of silence filled the gap between the two.

"...You feeling alright?" Maou finally broke the silence.

"A-as if you care!" Emi put on her signature act, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Stubborn, as always," Maou sighed, a weak smile growing on his lips. He then offered the hero a hand. "Walk with me," he pleaded with her, the grin from before still on his face. She rolled her eyes and begrudgingly began to follow him as he aimlessly strolled down the empty streets of Tokyo with no real goal in mind.

"So tell me," Maou began, "What exactly is it that you want? You've been following me home almost every day for the past few weeks now. I'm beginning to even wonder if you spend any time at your own apartment."

"Well, isn't it obvious?" She scoffed, "I'm the hero, you're the devil, I have to keep tabs on you to make sure you're not up to something nefarious."

"Right, see, I would have believed that lie a year ago," The demon lord chuckled, "And if you really were doing as you say, then why not have the least bit of subtlety about it?"

"W-well, I figured that would be pointless, since I already tried that before and you took note," She had a slightly harder time coming up with an on-the-spot lie for that.

"Emi-No, Emilia," They both stopped dead in their tracks when she used her original name, "Please, stop lying to me-" SMACK.

"Don't you ever call me by that name!" Maou's head remained in recoil from where Emi's hand came into contact with his cheek as an aggressive speed. "You are not allowed to call me by that name, Satan! Only my closest allies are permitted to call me by that name in this world! But YOU!?" A single tear flowed down her cheek at this point, "You're my sworn ENEMY! You have nothing but evil inside of you! If you ever try something as audacious as that again, I will destroy you where you stand, you got that!?"

Maou did not have an initial reaction. His head was still turned, so his face was out of her view.

"...Emi..." He spoke in barely a whisper, "...is that...truly what you think of me?"

The hero was initially taken aback by his response, but quickly regained her angry demeanor. "O-of course it is!" She snapped.

"...Well then..." He finally turned his head to look her in the eyes, a storm of emotions churning in his pupils, his ice-cold gaze causing Emi to flinch once again, "If that's truly the case... Then just kill me."

"Wha-"

"You h-heard me, hero!" He broke into a yelling tone, "Go ahead and end my life, right here, right now! Draw your Better Half and strike me down where I stand! What are you waiting for then!? Is this not what you want!? DO IT!"

He somehow found it within himself to regain his cool after that rant, leaving Emi stunned and speechless, golden irises wide with a mix of emotion. He simply stood there and waited for her attack. _He's giving himself up?... Well, What the hell are you waiting for, Emilia! This is what you want, kill him now!_ Her face cringed. _...Is it, though? He's done so much for this world, for these people... for me. What good will killing him now bring them? What good will it bring me?... I-I don't think I can do it, I..._

Seconds, moments, minutes passed, and she did not make a single motion to kill him. He closed his eyes, breaking eye contact. "...Goodnight, Emi." He solemnly said before turning around and walking away. Before he could make more than one step, however, a hand grabbed his wrist, and before he knew what was happening, something warm and sweet was pressing against his lips. The devil's senses kicked back in just in time to realize the events that were unfolding before him: It was Emi, it was her hand that grabbed his wrist, and it was her lips that were pressed up against his. For a moment, he felt like he had died and gone to Heaven (if that was even possible for lords of the damned). But not a moment too soon, Emi pulled away, her confused, strangely joyful expression almost matching his.

"M-Maou, I-"

BRRAP.

#####

"Hm," A pair of binoculars lowered to reveal a set of golden eyes, framed by cropped ultramarine hair, "It would seem that the Church's suspicions are correct after all." The young man turned to his partner, "What say you, Ruber?"

The one now identified as Ruber stood up from his relaxed pose in the empty room they had retrofitted into a sniper's roost, flicking his similar-length scarlet hair. "I wouldn't say anything, Caeruleus," He raised his hand, a tiny ball of divine energy forming in between his fingertips, "I would merely shoot the bloody heathens."

#####

To say the truth, Emi did not remember much of what happened after hearing that noise. She still managed to retain a few fuzzy images, though. She remembered being in an immense amount of pain for a split second, before going completely numb. She remembered blood, both from her and from the Devil. The last thing she heard was Maou telling her to "hold on," before a reddish aura over took the both of them and she blacked out.

#####

"It would appear as though they teleported away," Caeruleus observed, a significant amount of disappointment in his tone, "Looks like Satan still has a bit of fight left in him after all."

"He couldn't have gotten far with all the holes we put in them both," Ruber shrugged off the failure, "We'll find their bodies, get the Better Half, and complete the mission with flying colors."

"About that," The blue-haired assassin turned to his comrade, "Those attacks, I do not believe that all of them were from us."

"Mhm, yes, I noticed that as well," The other man placed a hand on his chin, smirking, "Looks like we have a guardian angel, or, more correctly, we are the guardian angel of someone else."

#####

The young entrepreneur casually roamed Tokyo's sidewalks, adjusting his perfectly round glasses. His jade eyes looked aimlessly at the empty street that sprawled out in front of him. He always opted to scout late at night, so if things happened to get hairy there would be less witnesses to worry about. The green-eyed man had only set up shop a little over a month ago, however, the condition of his shop was the least of his concerns at the moment.

"...There!" His lax gaze snapped into a fiery glare, as if sensing something. _That_ must _be the source of magic I sensed a year ago!_ His casual walk broke into a brisk jog, despite him trying to keep his suit unwrinkled and presentable. _By the time I get there, things should have cooled down between whatever forces I am sensing, so when they do, I will-_

His train of thought was interrupted as a flash of demonic light in the street temporarily blinded him. The grunted as his senses returned to him, and when they did, he noticed a major difference from before: a raven-haired man and a auburn-haired woman, both lying in the street. They both seemed to be unconscious, and a red puddle quickly grew underneath their resting spot.

 _Is... this what I have been sensing all this time?_ He quickly rushed up to the unconscious pair, placing a hand on both of them. _Yes, there's no doubting it now. These two are from Ente Isla._ He removed his hands, which were now both red from their blood. _So, the elephant in the room: do I heal them? If they are with the church or with the devil's forces, then they will undoubtedly try to kill me as soon as they are conscious. And it will take a significant deal of my magic to heal them if they are: at least a month's worth for both of them._

 _But... If I don't heal them, then I will never get the answers I came here for. On top of that, it is highly unlikely that they are aligned with either. The fact that they were attacked in this manner highly suggests they are deserters to whatever cause they were once affiliated with._ He took into account the pool of blood that was growing at an alarming speed under his feet. _I don't have much time, they are bleeding out. Caution to the wind, then..._

#####

 **And there you have it, the pilot chapter. By all means, give me your thoughts. Is it worth reading? Do I continue? Send me anything, really, I'm not a hater-hater. But keep in mind how seriously I take your review is inversely proportional to the amount of caps-lock ;)**


	2. Recovery

**Thank you all so much for the positive feedback! Alrighty then, since you guys asked for it, queue Guile's Theme in your playlist, because this is the second chapter. Are you excited? Well, I don't think I am honestly.**

 **Alright, before we go any further, I should mention this entire fanfiction rests on one major premise: That the normal magic users we've been introduced to so far (e.g. Priests, Demons, etc.) can _not_ use magic to heal. I think one fanfic that I read based on the manga implied (?) that angels could heal, but I'm gonna be forgiving with that one. Also Maou can do pretty much anything (except what I said before), but that's because he's the goddamn _Devil_. He's basically Superman, where he has a bunch of random grab-bag powers that change from one comic/movie/episode to the next.**

 **Disclaimer: Now if only I could get LittleKuriboh to record himself saying I don't own this series, that would make my day.**

#####

"Malacoda." Ruber sneered angrily when he found out who it was that was assisting him before. The three of them were now at street level, face-to-face with one another. None of them bothered to clean up the mess they had caused, after all, even if the humans do manage to persecute them, there's nothing in their power that they can do.

"Ah, greetings," The dark sorcerer sarcastically bowed, "You two much be the church's new lap dogs." The duo raised both hands at this quip, preparing to attack. "Ah, ah, ah, hey now," the demon stopped them both, "I'm not here to fight the likes of you. In fact," An evil grin appeared on his face, "I think we could mutually benefit from one another's presence."

The two remained silent for a moment, trying to comprehend what the demon general was saying. "Speak your piece, vile spawn," Caeruleus finally replied, "before I change my mind and smite you here."

"It's simple, really," Malacoda raised his hands in a gesture, " _You_ want Satan dead, _I_ want Satan dead. _You_ want Emilia dead, _I_ want Emilia dead. We work together to accomplish our aim here on Earth, and we part ways afterward."

"How do we know this isn't a ploy?" Ruber interjected.

"Please, boys," Malacoda grinned sheepishly, appealing to their sense of superiority, "I'm sure that your combined might would not have any trouble wasting a meager demon general such as myself. I couldn't get the drop on you two if I wanted."

"...One more thing," Caeruleus inquired, "Let's assume we agree to this... deal of yours. What would you possibly gain by killing your own king?"

"Well, to start," The dark sorcerer began, "I must inform you that 'Satan' is not a born name, but rather an inherited one. The current demon you call 'Satan' has only had his title for about 300 years. There are two ways to attain this status: the first, and far more common one, is for the current devil to leave it in a will of sorts. When he dies, whether the cause be natural or unnatural, the next demon in line will ascend to the throne. But..." He shiftily averted his gaze, "Since you saw the, ahem, 'events' that transpired before our attack, I can safely assume he does not plan on dying anytime soon, and he most certainly does not plan on giving the title to myself. Which brings me to the second method..."

"...Defeat him..." The blue-haired one finished for him.

"Ah, you boys catch on quickly. So then, what do you say?" He extended his hand to shake theirs, his tone becoming much more maniacal and sinister than before, "Care to make a deal with the soon-to-be devil?"

#####

"U-uughh..." Emi grunted as she began to awaken from her slumber. Man, last night's dream was really weird. I kissed Maou, and then something attacked us, and then...

She felt a temporary surge of pain rocket through her body. Wait... that actually happened! Shit, I need to find him and-

"I wouldn't try and move so much, frau." A treble voice with a light but distinctively German accent caused her to stop struggling. She opened her eyes, but all she saw were the trusses and beams of the unconcealed roof above her. "I was able to seal off must of your bullet wounds and heal most of the damage, but you seem to have taken quite the beating."

 _Wait..._ "h-heal?" She spoke in a near whisper, her vocal cords weak from last night's onslaught.

"...Ja, heal," He replied, "In the meantime, I recommend you call your work and tell them that you will be out sick for today." The man who had been speaking to her finally revealed his face, a wireless handset in one hand, a gray bowler cap in the other. From what Emi could make of his attire, the man was from the western world, adorning a pinstripe suit that was slightly darker than his cap, a ruby red bow tie, and perfectly round glasses. His body was lanky and slim, and his face was somewhat boyish. His irises were a verdant green hue, and his medium-length sepia hair was slicked back, though not to the extent that it clung to his scalp. A short beard and handlebar mustache covered the bottom half of the man's face.

"And while you're at it, you may as well call in sick for your boyfriend too," He added.

"H-he's not my- ugh..." The hero didn't have enough energy in her to get angry at him.

"Oh, my apologies, frau," He placed his bowler cap on his head, "I did not mean to assume. And while I'm at it, I apologize for this accent as well, my Japanese is a bit rusty. My name is Dr. Florian Veridis," He tipped his cap upon saying that.

"Emi Yusa," The half-angel weakly replied, slowly regaining her strength to speak, "And you never did answer me before, you... _healed_ us?"

"Ah, yes, I did say that, didn't I?" The one named Veridis chuckled at his slip of the tongue, "I will be more than happy to explain everything, but first, I request that you entertain my humor for a bit," The casual grin disappeared from his face, and his tone became much more dire, "First, _what are you_?"

"E-excuse me?" Emi was taken aback by his question.

"Your physiology is unlike that of any normal human I have seen in a very long time. And, so is his," He gestured beside her, where she finally noticed an unconscious Maou, sleeping heavily on a futon just a few feet away from an identical futon that she rested upon, "I repeat: _what_ are you?"

"Well, in this world, he is Sadao Maou," She sighed, knowing he would not budge until she gave a truthful response, "But, in the world we come from, Ente Isla, he is Satan, king of the demons, and I," She sat up, "am Emilia the hero. My mother was an angel, and my father was a human."

The doctor mulled her reply around in his head for a moment, then seemed satisfied with the answer, "Interesting," he said, "The devil and a half-angel, working side-by-side this whole time. That would explain why the magic I sensed from across the planet was so immense. Tell me, what exactly is your relationship with him?"

"...I-I don't know." She reluctantly replied, "In Ente Isla, we were sworn enemies, destined to fight to the death. But here, he's a different person entirely. He's saved countless lives, not to mention my own, on numerous occasions, rebuilt cities, stopped an archangel from almost tearing this planet apart," She smiled faintly, "I'm gonna regret saying this, but a part of me... I think..."

"You love him," Veridis finished for her, "but you still seek vengeance for his actions in Ente Isla."

"...He's responsible for the death of thousands of people, including my father," She almost shed a tear, but kept her composure, "How am I supposed to love someone evil enough to commit such an act?"

"Well, let me ask you this," He sat down, "Do you think that revenge can be righteous?"

"H-he is evil," She almost lashed out, "He deserves whatever punishment I see fit for him!"

"Do you think that is what your mother would want?" He interjected, which caused the hero's eyes to widen suddenly at his proposition. "Your mother is an Angel, pure of heart, correct? She would never wish suffering on another, no matter how cruel they are, have been, or will be. Do you think that Jesus Christ would want vengeance? He would not, he turned the other cheek. Do you think that the Buddha would want vengeance? He also would not, he rejected anger in any form."

He stood up, a certain flare entering his words, "I think I see what is happening here. You want to forgive him, but your subconscious refuses to make a distinction between forgiveness and vindication. Forgiveness does not deny, minimize, or justify what happened. It is simply an acknowledgment of reality, of how much has been laid to waste by not forgiving. Vindication is acceptance of actions in the past; Forgiveness is simply letting it be."

He somewhat regained his cool demeanor. "I don't expect you to forgive him immediately, nor can I force you to forgive him at all. Make of that what you will. Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare both breakfast for you two and my shop for opening. When I return, I will answer whatever questions you have about me, as promised." And with that, he exited the room, leaving the half-angel to contemplate on the philosophical questions brought up by the man.

#####

At the Devil's Castle, Maou's alarm clock was buzzing throughout the household at six o'clock, the usual time at which he got up and prepared for work at MgRonalds. As time passed, the clock continued to drone on.

"...Ugh... my lord, please shut off your alarm..." A very groggy Ashiya mumbled from his covers. Maou seemed to ignore his pleas, which upset the demon general, and upsetting a demon general this early in the morning is never something you want to do. "Satan..." he grumbled, his tone much angrier than before. He got up and balled his hand into a fist, but when he rose, he noticed the futon next to him was empty. "My lord?" He called out, to no avail. "MY LORD!" He screeched as he realized his master had never returned from work yesterday.

Scrambling, he sprung upwards and turned on the lights. "Lord Satan, where are you!?" He cried out for his master, but the only response was a comparably groggy fallen angel shifting underneath his own covers.

"Ugh, keep it down, will ya?" Urushihara muttered as he made an attempt to drift back to sleep.

"You..." Ashiya's brow furrowed. He stormed over to where Lucifer lay resting, pulled him up by his shirt, and before he could react, the demon general punched him square on the cheek.

"Hey, what gives!?" A much more sober Urushihara rubbed his face where Alciel hit him.

"This is all your doing, Lucifer!" The blonde demon general accused, finger pointed at him, "You said that the lord would be home at any second, and that it was perfectly okay to fall asleep! You worthless liar, look where your scheming has gotten us!"

"Just relax, dude," The fallen angel raised his hands in defense, "He probably didn't come home because he was out porking Emi or something."

"You... insufferable cur!" Ashiya's anger grew at such a proposition, "How DARE you accuse our lord of being seduced by that miserable wench! If we were in Ente Isla, I'd have your head on a pike for that alone!"

"Yeah, well, it's a good thing we're _not_ in Ente Isla, are we?" Urushihara retorted, an ungracious smirk on his face. Ashiya chose to ignore this and threw a pair of shoes at his comrade.

"Get dressed," he commanded, "We are going to have to hunt for him."

"What do you mean, _we_?" The fallen angel raised an eyebrow.

"This is all your fault, you worthless bum!" The other demon continued his rant, "Honestly, i'm shocked that you used to be a general in his majesty's army! I mean exactly what I said: _we_ are going to look for him and that's final! So get off your ass or else I'm canceling the internet subscription first thing after we find him!"

That was the only motivation Lucifer needed to get his shoes on.

#####

 **So what do you think? Are the OCs at the very least tolerable? I tried to avoid the normal Mary-Sueness that a lot of fanfics like to pull for their protagonist OCs and drew from a wide range of influences when I was writing. For example, with Veridis I tried to make him two parts TF2 Medic and one part Osho. Yeah, I know, those two are almost opposites, but whatever.**

 **Oh, and one more thing: should I make his written accent stronger? I know what you're thinking, "You can't do that, DaW, it's written," but when I say that, I mean things like replacing "and" with "und", "the" with "ze", etc. so when you read it aloud it sounds more like he has a German accent. I was originally going to, but I figured that would backfire and actually make it _more_ difficult to read, and some of the readers would try and crucify me for being "politically incorrect" if I did. If you speak German and/or have lived in a German-speaking country for any portion of your life, your input is greatly appreciated. As with before, send me anything, I don't shy away from flame wars as long as they don't bore me.**

 **Minor edit: Replaced ambiguous "central European" with "German"**


	3. Revelation

**Okay, this is easily the worst chapter I've written so far. I would just stop posting, but I feel like I've committed at this point.**

 **Disclaimer: Remember when I said I wanted LittleKuriboh to tell people I don't own this series? I changed my mind, I'd rather have PurpleEyesWTF do it.**

#####

The first thing that Maou felt when he woke was a sharp pain. It was as if his senses had been on hold, and all the pain from before came rushing down on him at once. He squinted at the sudden stimulus, and moaned hoarsely.

"Maou, you're awake," He heard the sound of a feminine voice, which he quickly registered as belonging to a certain redhead hero.

"...E-Emi?" The devil slowly cracked his eyes open, attempting to locate the hero in question.

"Shh, just relax," The half-angel pleaded with him, her face now directly above his so he could see her. A stray strand of her long hair tickled his nose, causing him to sneeze. Emi smiled softly at his behavior. "Welcome back, Sadao Maou."

"W-what happened?" It took all of his strength to lift himself into a sitting position, "Where are we-"

Before he could finish his statement the events of last night rushed through his mind: her kiss, the attack, and how he got them out of there. After that, though, things were cut off, as he blacked out at that point. His eyes did not contract from their widened state as he focused on the first part of his flashback. _Wait... Emi_ kissed _me last night?_

"E-Emi..." He stuttered, "Did you..."

"...Y-yes..." The half angel almost said in a whisper, "B-but I don't think we have to time to focus on that right now! We still don't know what happened to us after..."

Maou took no hesitation in embracing the half-angel in a heartfelt hug. Any other time, she would've shoved the demon away, likely by punching him in the nose. However, she did not resist his grip, and eventually melded into the embrace, a single tear rolling down her cheek and dripping onto the floor.

"Emi," The devil whispered into her ear. His tone wasn't threatening, or malignant, or the slightest bit... _demonic_. It was caring and protective. "I shouldn't have let that happen to you. My reaction time should've been better. I am truly sorry for letting anyone hurt you."

The half angel felt more tears roll down her face. "Maou..."

"It is good to see you took my advice, Emi," Veridis entered the room, singlehandedly ruining the atmosphere more effectively than a picture of Miki Shiba naked.

"Ugh, you ruined it! Stalker!" Emi went back to her old self, directing her energy towards the new addition to the room.

"Hey, uh, who exactly _is_ this guy?"

#####

"Hello and welcome to- Oh, hi, Ashiya!" Chiho happily greeted her acquaintance from behind the counter. The demon general was huffing as he came in, having rode Dullahan II at its maximum speed to the establishment.

"Chiho... Maou... missing..." The man huffed between deep breaths. The girl simply stood there, a mortified look on her face.

"That... bitch!" Her expression quickly mutated into one of pure rage. "I knew I should've never trusted her with my darling Maou! She's taken him off to god knows where and already slept with him! O-or even worse..." She gulped melodramatically, "K-k- _killed_ him!"

"Woah, woah, calm yourself, Chiho!" the tall blonde man pleaded with her, "Just tell me when it was last time that you saw the lord..."

#####

"...So then Ashiya flipped out over it, and now he's sent me on this wild goose chase," Lucifer whined to his neighbor, who had woken up from the ruckus caused by Ashiya just a while ago, "Anyway, if Maou is _really_ in trouble, and that's a big if, we'll probably need your help too."

"I see," Suzuno quietly contemplated, "so do either of you have any leads on good Sadao's last known location?"

"Well, no, but-" The cellphone vibrations in Urushihara's front pocket caused him to stop his sentence midway. He pulled the device from his pocket, reading the caller ID. "Huh, it's Chiho," He said, flipping open the phone and placing it to his ear.

"YOU'D BETTER CATCH THAT SKA-" He quickly withdrew, his teeth gritting a little from the sudden noise.

"Hey, what are ya trying to do, bust my eardrums!?" He yelled back angrily over the other line.

"Lucifer..." A male voice replied this time.

"Oh, hey, Ashiya, tell that girl to control her voice," He grunted, still rubbing the ear that had been abused, "Anyway, did you find anything."

"Our lord... has been taken by the hero Emilia! No doubt she plans on murdering-"

"Ashiya says that he was with Emi after work last time anyone saw him," The fallen angel put down the phone, choosing not to listen to his roommate's conspiracy theories.

"Hmm..." The former inquisitor thought over this new information. "It seems highly improbably that Emilia would try to slay the devil now of all times..."

"Yeah, try 'never happening', have you seen the way she's been ogling at him recently?"

"So, ruling out that possibility, we have two other options," Suzuno held up her fingers, "The first, and far more likely, is that the hero Emilia took Maou to her apartment, where they both spent the night,"

"I doubt that," Urushihara rejected the idea, "Emi hasn't picked up her cell once, and while that's not an indicator in and of itself, even if he did spend the night, that wouldn't stop him from his perfect attendance at MgRonalds."

"Well, then there's the second option," Suzuno continued, "They were both ambushed by a third party somewhere between work and this apartment."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I mean, I haven't been paying much attention to if any gates were being opened but..."

"...Well, it's our only working hypothesis so far." The assassin replied. "Tell good Ashiya to team up with Chiho and scour the streets for any signs of an attack. You and I shall have to do the same."

"Oh, come on!" The fallen angel wailed, "This early in the morning?"

#####

"So, this is what Satan looks like when he's up and kicking," Veridis thought aloud, "I must say, I was not expecting him to appear anything remotely resembling human."

"Well, thanks for the 'compliment'," Maou begrudgingly responded, "But that doesn't answer my question. Who _are_ you?"

"Ah, my most sincere apologies," He took a bow, "My name is Dr. Florian Veridis. I healed you once you escaped from whatever mess it was you've found yourself entangled in."

"Well, thanks, I really- wait, you _healed_ me?" Maou asked, a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Yeah, I was hoping he could explain that one to me as well," Emi continued to shoot daggers at the dapper man.

"Ah, yes, well," He chuckled lightly, "Let me ask you this, Emilia: are you by any chance familiar with the druids from five hundred years ago?"

"I've more or less read about them," The hero replied, "Wait, are you saying..."

"Uh, forgive me for being out of the loop, but, what's a druid?" Maou asked.

"Well, from my limited knowledge of it," Emi explained to him, "They were once a caste among the church's society, several hundred years ago. I read very briefly about them while I was training to become a hero. It is said they were an immense help in the church's efforts during the crusade." Her tone got slightly darker, "But not long afterward, they were exiled and purged from the church for committing acts of heresy, including human sacrifice and cannibalism."

Veridis laughed aloud at her final statement, "So, it seems they have not lost their touch when it comes to propaganda," The doctor wiped a tear from laughing so hard, "No, no, the druids never once feasted on the flesh of another human being. In fact, the majority of us were vegetarian. We were, more or less, pacifists, seeking a more pragmatic use for the devices you call magic."

"Amongst our lore, the first druid was an inventor, fascinated by the supernatural powers wielded by both the church's champions and the demons. However, he thought there could be more to this power than just aimless killing. He traveled to the most remote regions of Ente Isla, where he meditated and contemplated for days, months, years, until..." The man raised his left palm as it began to glow with a greenish energy. It was not a sickly or threatening green, but more of a verdant one.

"...Y-you discovered a new use for magic," Emi finished his thought.

"That's only half the truth, frau," The man lowered his hand, and the glowing ceased, "He discovered a new form of it _entirely_. 'Life magic', he called it, though we generally didn't refer to it by any given name. Unlike your demonic magic or celestial force, which is only designed to corrupt and smite your foes, we use it to heal and mend our wounds, and the wounds of others. Its animate properties can also refill another's magic pool, enhance their spells and abilities to their maximum potential, and even grant biological immortality to those skilled enough to wield it properly."

"Once the church discovered us, we became the standard battle medics for their legions, able to bring soldiers who would have normally died a slow and painful death back to peak physical condition. However, many of us did not exclusively heal humans..."

"You... healed wounded demons too?" Maou almost gasped.

"In our teachings, the dichotomy of 'good' and 'evil' are at best two sides of the same coin, and at worst arbitrary characteristics registered in the mind alone," The druid continued, "We did not believe that either side had the right to commit wholesale slaughter on the other. Eventually, the church caught wind of this, but we were considered too useful for them to exterminate us just yet, even if we healed for both sides. Until one day... Many of us were asked to... 'weaponize'... our abilities. We refused, and the church turned on us. Most of us went into hiding, while those of us who were better connected used gates to seek refuge in other worlds. And that should bring the two of you up to speed." The man took in a deep breath, ending his monologue.

"Just one more question," Emi spoke, "The church's request... were any of you able to conceive an offensive use for your magic?"

"Well," Veridis sighed, rubbing his neck, "There was... one spell... but it was considered too conditional to be useful. Besides, none of us mentioned it to the church, so they may never knew about it. Talking about this does not make me comfortable, honestly, but I promised I would tell you all you wished to know. Is there anything else?"

"...No." Maou decided to speak for the both of them.

"Excellent," The doctor took a breath of relief, the cheshire grin he had on from before now gracing his face. "Now, we must get you both into some new clothes, you look homeless. Is there by any chance someone you can call to bring you clothing?"

#####

 **Okay, I'm no expert when it comes to this type of thing, but I believe this is the part where I lose half of my readers for deviating too much from the original storyline. I'm not sure if that makes this AU or not. My concept of magic is heavily WoW/D &D-influenced, if you couldn't tell that from the "druids" in this fic, and healing will probably be exclusive to that school of magic and maybe celestial force/holy magic later on. If I ever decide to make a sequel, I'll be sure to add even _more_ types of magic in it, so you have been warned.**

 **I guess If you didn't like it, then I have good news for you: College is coming up soon, so updates are gonna slow to a frustrating pace. If you're one of the few still with me, then I express both my gratifications and bewilderment, and I wanna let you know that chapter 4 is already written and chapter 5 is in progress, so hold tight.**


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